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THE 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY, 



ACCORDING TO THE DOCTRINE AND RITUAL OF 
THE ORTHODOX ORIENTAL CHURCH. 



BY THE 

Very Rev. F. BASAROFF, 

ARCHPRIEST. 
TKA^&LATED BY THE 

Rev. N.^JERRING, Priest. 



NEW YORK:N^Si^ 

E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY, 

713 Broadway. 

1876. 



/ 




I 

Copyright, 

E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY, 

1876. 



RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: 
PRINTED BY H. 0. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY. 



PREFACE. 



In presenting to the American public a 
translation of the following Treatise on 
Matrimony according to the Doctrine and 
Ritual of the Orthodox Oriental Church, I 
am of the opinion, that the same will be of 
some advantage as well to those who intend 
to enter into matrimony with members of 
the Oriental Church, as also to such as 
wish to become generally acquainted with 
the Orthodox view on the subject. 

THE TRANSLATOR. 



THE 

SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 



Matrimony is a holy alliance ; the germ 
from which all human society springs. The 
family is one of the first foundations of civil 
life. For this reason, matrimony has every- 
where, from the oldest times, been regarded 
as a holy act. The Christian Church has 
done yet more in this respect, since she 
exalted the rite to the rank of a holy 
Sacrament. The reason of it she finds first 
in the original ordinance of matrimony by 
God in Paradise ; but she feels herself -yet 
more justified through the words of Jesus 
Christ, who confirms the first law of matri- 
mony and elevates it to a higher rank when 
He says : " Therefore shall a man leave 
father and mother, and cleave unto his 
wife ; and they twain shall be one flesh.' 5 



b SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

" Wherefore they are no more twain, but 
one flesh. What therefore God hath joined 
together, let no man put asunder." The 
Apostle Paul called matrimony a sacrament, 
and at the same time, indicated the high sig- 
nificance of this covenant in comparing the 
matrimonial union with the indissoluble 
oneness between Christ and His Church. 
" This is a great mystery," he writes of 
matrimony, and then adds : " but I speak 
concerning Christ and the Church," in 
order to show thereby that the matrimonial 
alliance can only then be great and holy, 
when it is made in the Christian sense. In 
these words, the Apostle represents the 
conjugal union as an image of the spiritual 
union of the Church with her supreme 
Head, in order to move the Christians to 
regard wedlock not merely as a human 
institution, but rather to esteem it a di- 
vinely appointed and mysterious ordinance. 
That the Christian idea of matrimony was 
only a restoration of the primitive meaning 
of this institution, is clearly seen from the 
answer of Christ, when He gave the Jews, 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 7 

" Moses, because of the hardness of your 
hearts, suffered you to put away your wives ; 
but from the beginning it was not so." 
Christianity even here, has approved itself 
the new birth of humanity. The great 
purpose of Christianity is, to lead man to 
the highest grade of moral perfection, to 
the likeness of God, as much as is possible 
for him to attain upon earth. The chief 
means by which this ennobling of the 
human nature is to be effected, consists, 
according to the doctrine of Jesus Christ, 
in the awaking and strengthening of the 
true love of God and man in the hearts of 
the regenerated. Therefore everything in 
Christianity has this aim, to imbue man 
with this love, and to make it, as it were — 
his second nature. And indeed is it not of 
great value, that man, owing to the circum- 
stances under which he lives from his birth, 
is encouraged and' brought up to this love 
in various ways ; that, being from early 
childhood most tenderly united with a 
number of persons, he exercises his young 
heart, even before reason is awakened in 



8 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

him, in the sentiments which, as a conse- 
quence, are to be the means of his becom- 
ing noble, and the source of his happiness ? 
And all that, according to the counsel of 
God, the matrimonial union is to effect. In 
this union, the noblest germs of human love 
receive their first nourishment ; and its 
fruits, the good fortune of home and civil 
prosperity, ripen only under the quiet roof 
of family life sanctified by God. This sen- 
timent guided even the heathen nations, 
although more darkly, on account of idola- 
try, since it inspired them with especial 
esteem for the matrimonial state. Yet 
rarely is such a rude people to be found, or 
such a savage race, among whom matri- 
mony is not accompanied by certain cere- 
monies, and thus in some manner treated as 
an extraordinary transaction. It required 
the foolishness of the understanding, dark- 
ened in its pride, to deny wedlock com- 
pletely the character of a divine ordinance, 
and to declare it a purely human institu- 
tion. Ecclesiastical antiquity knows noth- 
ing that might even cast a shadow upon 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 9 

such a corruption of the Christian idea. 
Indeed there may have been still in the 
times of the Apostles, heretical teachers, 
who rejected matrimony generally, as a 
thing not human. But this error was too 
great to provoke an extensive discussion. 
On the contrary, the teaching of Christian 
matrimony in the first few centuries was 
assailed so little, that the defenders of 
Christianity found themselves rarely called 
upon to leave us something more explicit 
in their writings on the subject. Tradition, 
however, affirms sufficiently, that matri- 
mony among the Christians existed always 
as a divine institution, and was esteemed as 
such very highly by all. The best proof of 
this is found in the practice and the teach- 
ing of the different churches, which, on ac- 
count of some dogmatic views, separated 
from each other in the first few centuries, 
yet retained unaltered the number of the 
seven sacraments, among which matrimony 
was included. Especially worthy of note, 
of the many positive testimonies concerning 
matrimony as a sacrament on the part of 



10 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

the Church Fathers of the first four cen- 
turies, are those of Tertullian and John 
Chrysostom, who both called matrimony a 
sacrament in the sense of the Apostle. In 
turning from the positive testimonies to the 
dogmatic considerations about matrimony, 
we shall find here, in full measure, all that 
is requisite for a sacrament? What is a 
sacrament? A sacrament is a transaction 
of the Church in divine service, in which, 
by virtue of the divine ordinance, the most 
important gifts of grace are both symbol- 
ically indicated, and in reality secured. 
That marriage was never performed any 
other way but under the blessing of the 
Church, we have the undeniable testimony 
of the Church Authors. " How can I," 
writes Tertullian, " describe the bliss of 
wedlock, which is made by the Church, 
sanctified through the offering, sealed by 
the benediction ; which the angels an- 
nounce, and the Heavenly Father con- 
firms ! " Much the same can now be said 
also of the divine transaction of marriage 
in the Orthodox Church : for none of the 



SACRAMENT OF. MATRIMONY. 11 

Sacraments, the Holy Communion excepted, 
is in this Church celebrated with such 
solemnity as the nuptial. And in reference 
to the great age of the ceremony in the 
Oriental Church, exists no doubt. As re- 
gards the divine ordinance of matrimony 
itself, we are fully convinced of it through 
the words of Christ. Of course, the same 
could not be said of the manner and mode 
of performing this sacrament. The Apos- 
tles allowed the Churches, even in their 
life-thne, a certain freedom in arranging 
their performances in divine service, and 
the ritual developed itself by degrees into 
that grade in which it is now established. 
Only this one thing is certain for the 
Church, that she is guided in these arrange- 
ments by the Holy Spirit, which was given 
her by Christ as her guide and ruler, and 
therefore can receive nothing that is con- 
tradictory to the principles of faith. From 
this side of the question, therefore, noth- 
ing can be objected against matrimony as 
a Sacrament. 

But if it be said that no special gift of 



12 SACRAMENT. OF MATRIMONY. 

divine grace be necessary for marriage, we 
refer to the words of the Apostle, to the 
Corinthians, vi. 19, 20 : " What ! know ye 
not that your body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have 
of God, and ye are not your own ? For ye 
are bought with a price ; therefore glorify 
God in your body, and in your spirit, which 
are God's." 

If any one knows why these words were 
written, it will clearly appear that the faith- 
ful are therein exhorted to show their union 
with Christ, not only in his spirit, but also 
in his body. And, indeed, should not the 
union be holy, from which the sons of the 
kingdom of God are born ? Should such an 
union not need the special grace of God, 
which is the foundation of all civil ties, 
which is full of pure joy and bliss, whence 
we imbibe, with blood and milk, the spirit 
of holiness? Matrimony, in the Christian 
sense, is much more than a mere alliance 
between two persons of different sexes for 
conjugal life. It is the hearth of the heart's 
true love ; it is the school of all domestic 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 13 

virtues ; it is the foundation of morality for 
future generations. "They two shall be 
one flesh," — this is the requirement of this 
union ! One in spirit, one in love, one in sen- 
timent, one in desire. Can the natural man 
fulfill such a calling in his own strength? 
Does not even the regenerated need the es- 
pecial grace of God to comply with these 
demands of Christian marriage ? Truly, 
whatever is produced from the senses is only 
sensual ; and only that which is formed 
through the spirit is spiritual. Christians, 
as children of light, must be sanctified even 
in their birth, and to this end is needed the 
especial grace of God, which can be realized 
only by means of the Holy Spirit working 
in the sacrament. As in every sacrament 
is received this secret effect of grace under 
visible symbols, so it is also in that of mat- 
rimony. When we consider the external 
transaction of the ceremony, we see before 
us two persons of different sexes, who vow 
to each other before the altar of God, eter- 
nal love and fidelity ; we hear how the 
priest prays for them, and blesses this mat- 



14 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

rimonial union in the name of the Holy 
Trinity. But this solemn promise of both 
parties, and this priestly blessing, are just 
the visible forms under which the invisible 
grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted to those 
who become here united. Through this 
grace the natural bond between man and 
woman becomes spiritual, after the image of 
the secret union of Christ with His church. 
The sanctified alliance between the man 
and the woman in the name of the triune 
God, receives now from God Himself the 
grace for the blessed production of children, 
and the ability for the fulfillment of all obli- 
gations on the part of those married and the 
parents. And these gifts, which are not 
merely human in their nature, make up the 
real substance of Christian wedlock, its inte- 
rior, sacramental character. 

When we compare marriage with the 
other sacraments of the Church, we perceive 
that also in the Lord's Supper, not the 
simple reception of bread and wine is sacra- 
mental, but their change into the body and 
blood of Christ, through the priestly bless- 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 15 

ing ; just so in baptism, — the sacramental 
part does not consist in the washing of the 
baptized with water, but in the priestly per- 
formance of this act in the name of the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It is alto- 
gether the same in the sacrament of mar- 
riage ; the mutual consent of bridegroom 
and bride for entering into the matrimonial 
state, and even the declaration of this reso- 
lution before the priest, do not yet amount 
to a sacrament. But it becomes a sacra- 
ment as soon as this mutual promise of 
connubial love and fidelity before the altar 
of God receives its sanctification through the 
priestly blessing in the name of the Holy 
Trinity. The holy Clement of Alexandria 
makes the blessing of the Christian mar- 
riage dependent even on the faith of those 
to be united. And thus it must be in re- 
ality ; for although not every one of the 
sacraments may be for condemnation as the 
Holy Communion, when it is received with- 
out becoming reverence, yet the effects of 
all sacraments are doubtless more or less 
dependent upon the faith of the recipient. 



16 SACEAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

If, therefore, matrimony is a sacrament, 
it must necessarily be indissoluble, for the 
grace of God cannot be despised unpun- 
ished. 

The original law of matrimony, accord- 
ing to which two are to become one flesh, 
Jesus Christ confirmed yet more, when He 
said : " What God has joined together, let no 
man put asunder." (Matt. xix. 6.) The 
Lord calls every one an adulterer, who dur- 
ing the life-time of the other enters into 
another alliance. (Mark x. 11.) The same 
was taught also by the Apostles. (1 Cor. vii. 
10, 11, and Rom. vii. 2, 3.) This rule, there- 
fore, was observed by the whole Christian 
Church at all times. The celebrated pul- 
pit orator of the fourth century, St. Chrys- 
ostom, by way of explanation of the words 
of Jesus (Matt. xix. 4, 6), said to his hearers 
as follows : " Let us admire the wisdom of 
the Master! He declared, before He an- 
swered the question proposed to Him in re- 
lation to divorce, that this commandment 
was that of His Father, and that he set it up 
without contradicting Moses. Behold, how 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 17 

He ratifies His words, when He says, God 
not only created one man and one woman, 
but He commanded them also to be united. 
But if God had wished that one should aban- 
don his wife, and take another, then He 
would have created one man and several wo- 
men. Thus the Lord has shown in the 
method of creation, as also in the manner 
and mode of the giving of the law, that the 
man is to unite himself with the woman for- 
ever, and never to be separated from her. 
And observe how he speaks : c Know ye not 
that He which made them at the beginning 
made them male and female ? ' That is, be- 
cause they originally sprang from one root, 
therefore they also unite themselves in one 
being ; ' for they become,' says He, c one 
flesh.' Afterwards, in order to show how 
dangerous it is to neglect this law, He did 
not say for the confirmation of this law, ' Do 
not commit adultery ; ' but what did he 
say ? ' What God has joined together, let 
no man put asunder.' If thou dost show 
me the ordinances of Moses, I refer thee to 
the Lord of Moses, and in this way bring 



18 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

forward the antiquity of this ordinance ; 
for God created in the beginning male and 
female. This is the original law, and it 
was introduced with particular force. For 
the woman is not only brought to the 
man, but it is commanded that the man 
should leave father and mother ; it is com- 
manded, not only to live with the woman, 
but to cleave to his wife. Even in these 
words is seen the indissolubility of this 
union. But that was not enough ; yet an- 
other stronger oneness is demanded ; for it 
is said, ' and they two shall be one flesh.' 
After He had interpreted thus the original 
law, which was introduced, not only in word 
but in deed, and had proved its truth by the 
authority of the Law-giver, He ratifies the 
same by His own remark, and confirms it 
with the words : ' Thus are they not twain, 
but one flesh.' Therefore, as it is a hor- 
rible thing to part in twain a living body, 
it is, in the same manner, contrary to the 
law to separate from the woman. And 
even here He did not yet cease, but pointed 
to God for greater confirmation, in saying, 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 19 

c What God has joined together, let not 
man put asunder.' Thus He has shown 
that it would be contrary to nature, as well 
as to law, — to nature, because one and the 
same being is divided, — to the law, because 
one endeavors to part that which God has 
joined, and which He has commanded should 
not be separated." In prohibiting the sepa- 
ration of the matrimonial union, God has 
again revealed His wisdom, as also His 
grace, with respect to mankind. For only 
such a union can serve for the attainment 
of the purpose of marriage. From how 
many temptations of carelessness and car- 
nal lust this law might keep the mar- 
ried ! From how many irremediable dis- 
putes numbers of families might be spared ! 
And what a misfortune it would be for the 
children, if they were not protected from 
neglect by this law of the inseparable union 
of their parents ! In accordance with the 
teaching of Holy Scripture, the connubial 
tie is loosed by the death of one of the 
wedded pair. But even in this case the 
Apostle -advises rather to remain single than 



20 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

to enter into a new marriage. (1 Cor. vii. 
40.) According to the Christian idea, it 
really should not be otherwise. For the 
bodily death must not be in the eyes of the 
Christian a hindrance to the continuance of 
the spiritual covenant of eternal love and 
fidelity. For this reason a second marriage 
in the Christian Church was always regarded 
as an allowance made for human weakness. 
Therefore in case of a second marriage in 
the Orthodox Church, are omitted several 
ceremonies that beautify every first wed- 
ding ; in like manner, those who have en- 
tered upon marriage a second time are not 
admitted to priestly offices. 

As regards third marriage, it is either 
absolutely forbidden, or only allowed under 
certain circumstances, and more often under 
an ecclesiastical penalty. Jesus Christ gives 
only one case where matrimony may be dis- 
solved, and that is adultery. (Matt. v. 32.) 
Through the slighting of the chief matri- 
monial duty by one of the parties, the other 
is necessarily freed from the union which is 
already broken by the act. With the Lord 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 21 

it is no crime if the innocent party in such 
a case free himself from the conjugal tie ; 
and the Church has declared in her acts 
of council, that, under such circumstances, 
marriage with another person is not to be 
denied to the innocent one. Yet even in 
this case, the Church pursues a very cau- 
tious course, since she does all in her power 
to conciliate the offended party, and bring 
the guilty to repentance. The laws of the 
state themselves limit this case, in so far as 
it is ordered that the personal confession of 
the disregard of the holiness of matrimony 
through adultery on the part of the guilty 
one, should not be considered before other 
clearer proofs of the fact have been sup- 
plied. 

In the civil law, still other cases are ad- 
mitted in which matrimony is severed, 
namely, when one of the pair is absent for 
more than five years, the whereabouts not 
being known, or in case of exile for life. In 
both these instances, the abandoned is al- 
lowed to apply to the ecclesiastical authority 
for permission to enter into a new marriage. 



22 SACRAMENT OP MATRIMONY. 

It is unnecessary to say, that even in these 
cases, only after more particular official in- 
vestigations concerning the whereabouts of 
the absentee, and after previous admonitions 
to patience, on the part of the priest, is given 
the unavoidable dispensation from the first 
marriage. As regards the other circum- 
stance under which marriage may be sev- 
ered, namely, the unfruitfulness of one of 
the parties, this exception takes place only 
in extraordinary cases. But on the whole, 
matrimony is regarded by the Church as an 
indissoluble alliance, and, as such, blessed 
by her. Only from this view of matrimony 
can be rightly fulfilled the duties which are 
prescribed to the married couple by the 
Church. For these obligations consist in 
this, that one give himself a sacrifice to the 
other all through life, and that they devote 
all their powers to the education of their 
children, and that also, in general, they as- 
sist each other in the foundation of earthty 
prosperity, and in attaining the bliss of 
heaven hereafter. The means for fulfilling 
these obligations, are the constant conjugal 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 2o 

fidelity, and mutual devoted love. It does 
not suffice for the Christian marriage, which 
is not a mere external compact, but a spir- 
itual union, to regard all these obligations 
only in an external light. No ; Jesus Christ 
calls it already a crime, when a man looks 
upon a strange woman with desire. (Matt, 
v. 27, 28.) And this upon the principle of 
a doctrine much to be taken to heart, that 
out of the heart proceed all evil thoughts as 
well as deeds. (Matt. xv. 19.) The pres- 
ervation of conjugal fidelity, even from the 
sinful emotions of the heart, is all important, 
for the reason, that matrimony is a union 
of hearts ; but when the heart goes astray, 
then begins also of itself dissolution of this 
union. 

But, considering at the same time what 
sad consequences for the whole family fol- 
low matrimonial unfaithfulness, it is clear 
why the Lord warns the married even against 
the secret unfaithfulness in thought. Not 
to mention that this unfaithfulness is a great 
sin against God and the Church, since it vio- 
lates the Holy Sacrament, and goes against 



24 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

the express command of God, it is in itself 
a great libel against morality. The person 
who is guilty of adultery, offends his partner 
most deeply, robs the children of their par- 
ent's love, causes family dispute, and de- 
stroys, in this way, domestic prosperity for- 
ever. And what a terrible example for the 
children ! Therefore the conjugal faith- 
lessness was counted as one of the ^greatest 
crimes among all nations, and punished very 
severely. According to the law of Moses, 
adulterers were stoned. The Apostle St. 
Paul exhorts the Christians to matrimo- 
nial fidelity, as those who are called to 
higher perfection and holiness, and accom- 
panies this admonition with the terrible 
threat, that those who do not maintain the 
same, shall have no part in the Kingdom of 
God. (1 Cor. vi. 9, 10.) 

As regards connubial love, it is really a 
matter of the heart, which cannot be com- 
manded by any precept. But love, as a 
sentiment, is to precede the conjugal union, 
but after its consummation it becomes a 
duty. It is true, that man is often not able 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 25 

to govern his own heart ; but the love that 
has once been experienced between two per- 
sons, which after mature consideration and 
mutual testing receives its sanctification be- 
fore the altar of God, this love must be rea- 
sonable, and shape itself in accordance with 
the laws of the obligations undertaken. 
Matrimonial love, as a sentiment sanctified 
in the sacrament, cannot grow cold itself 
without the personal fault of the married 
ones. If, then, therefore, as regards matri- 
mony, mention is made of the duty of recip- 
rocal love, it means that husband and wife 
are obliged, before God and the Church, to 
avoid everything that might lessen their 
love, — but, on the other hand, to do all 
that might confirm and strengthen this emo- 
tion of the heart. For whenever the ties of 
reciprocal love between husband and wife 
begin to become loose or feeble, then disap- 
pear also, by degrees, the rest of the family 
virtues. 

The most dangerous enemy of connubial 
love, and thus of the welfare of the family, 
is undeniably the desire for a frivolous, 



26 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

worldly life, combined with the inclination 
for social pleasures, whereby the charm of 
the quiet hearth is gradually lost, and the 
lovely experience of domestic happiness 
sinks into monotony. Then only one feels 
that matrimony is not an uninterrupted 
feast of joy, but a union full of duty, which 
often requires the sacrifice of self-denial. 
But rarely does man make up his mind to 
consider seriously that we are placed upon 
this earth by God, not so much for pleasure, 
but for the fulfillment of higher, holier duties. 
The joys in the path of life are scattered like 
flowers along a stony road, lest we faint, as 
it were, in the constant longing after our 
destination. In this respect matrimony is 
considered most highly by the generous 
hand of God ; but just on this account, it 
becomes the more unpardonable, if, amidst 
the joys of domestic bliss, the most impor- 
tant duties of matrimony are not sufficiently 
considered. The man becomes the more re- 
sponsible for this, neglect, since his misfor- 
tune is his own fault, for the truly Christian 
marriage is in itself happiness. As the sin- 






SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 27 

cerest and holiest bond of friendship, it ele- 
vates all joys of life, and lightens its 
hardships ; it doubles the enjoyment of 
earthly goods, and sweetens the bitterness 
of want. Among the wealthy, it advances 
love of activity, and among the needy it 
supports the inclination to industry. On all 
sides it nourishes the sense of virtue, and 
everywhere sets up a barrier to vice. In 
fine, if there can be a paradise on earth, cer- 
tainly it can only be found in the happy 
wedded life of Christians ; and this Eden 
is the more important, since it is equally 
accessible here to the rich as well as to the 
poor, to the high as well as to the low. 
Matrimony being a covenant between two 
persons, which has its meaning in the 
Church as well as in civil society, its con- 
summation is made dependent upon certain 
conditions. These conditions are partly nat- 
ural, partly ecclesiastical, and partly civil. 
But in Russia, where the Orthodox Church 
is so closely united with the State, all these 
conditions are consolidated into one, and 
left to the Church for her management and 



2a SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

inspection. At the same time it is required 
of the Church herself, that those entering 
into matrimony should have a mutual affec- 
tion even before concluding marriage, and 
that their decision for a matrimonial union 
be of their own accord. But since such a 
step in life is a most important and decisive 
one, and therefore demands more mature 
consideration on the part of those to 'be 
wedded, naturally care is taken that the 
bridegroom and bride be of a suitable age 
for the purposes of matrimony. Of course 
the limit of this capability may be different 
and dependent upon certain circumstances, 
and therefore the ecclesiastical law is not 
decided in this respect; however, at the 
present time, in Russia, it is fixed as the 
minimum, that the bridegroom shall not be 
younger than nineteen, and the bride not 
younger than sixteen years of age. But as 
the young may often be misled through 
passion to take a wrong step in the consum- 
mation of matrimony, the State, as well as 
the Church, demand that both bridegroom 
and bride have the consent of the civil au- 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 29 

thority and their parents to their marriage. 
Especially the latter is so highly esteemed 
in the Russian Church, that in case the par- 
ents are deceased, the godfathers and other 
relatives are required to be present as rep- 
resentatives of the parental power and bless- 
ing at the time of the ceremony. 

Another matrimonial condition, which is 
made by the Church, and sanctioned by the 
State, consists in this, that those to be be- 
trothed do not stand already in near rela- 
tionship to each other. The reason of this 
law lies already in the idea of matrimony 
itself, as being a covenant which, among 
others, is also destined for the purpose of 
augmenting the ties of love and common in- 
terests in human society. This impediment 
of relationship reaches in Russia to the sixth 
generation. Out of regard for the spiritual 
relationship between the god-parents and 
the god-children, the Orthodox Church re- 
quires that also baptismal relationship be as 
strictly observed in case of marriage as the 
natural. In order to meet all these, as other 
partly local, partly extraordinary demands, 



30 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

it is arranged that no one can be united in 
matrimony before adducing to the priest all 
requisite testimonials, and before two or 
three witnesses on both sides have supplied 
the marriage certificates with their signa- 
tures, at the risk of a legal penalty in case of 
any defalcation on the part of the subscribers. 
In order to avoid any reclamation after- 
wards by persons who might have occasion 
to hinder an intended marriage, it is the 
custom everywhere in the church to make a 
previous proclamation three times. For the 
same purpose, it is strictly prohibited to 
perform any nuptial ceremony without wit- 
nesses and outside of the church, or with 
closed doors. The ceremony of blessing in 
church is preceded by some domestic cere- 
monies and customs, of which some have a 
deep significance and an edifying religious 
sense. Thus the custom exists not to pro- 
nounce bridegroom and bride as such before 
they have received the blessing from the 
parental hands. This blessing is usually 
given in narrower family circles, when, after 
prayers to God, a holy picture, the symbol 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 31 

of tins blessing, is taken, and with it is made 
the sign of the cross over the heads of the pair 
kneeling before their parents. This picture 
of blessing remains there forever, a symbol 
of the paternal congratulations for those to 
be wedded. It accompanies them into the 
church, to the altar, and returns with them 
to their new home, where it is preserved 
and revered as a precious sacred relic. An- 
other custom, greatly to be praised, consists 
in this, — that the betrothed attend Holy 
Communion before the nuptials, and thus 
prepare themselves for a truly Christian life 
in this so important union. Many persons 
go so far in their esteem for the sacrament 
of matrimony that they do not approach 
it except fasting, if even they should have 
to fast till late in the evening. In ancient 
times, however, the custom was even gen- 
eral to combine the nuptials with the recep- 
tion of the Holy Communion, and so have it 
follow immediately after the Liturgy. For 
eight days after the wedding the newly 
married remained adorned with their crowns, 
since during this time they celebrated be- 



32 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

fore God only their spiritual union. At the 
present day, these crowns are immediately 
removed after the nuptials, and as a substi- 
tute for this eight days' feast of spiritual 
union, remains only the pious custom to 
kneel immediately after the ceremony be- 
fore the holy pictures, and to listen to a 
grateful Te Deum. There yet remains one 
more remark in reference to the time at 
which the nuptials may take place. Inas- 
much as marriage in general is a joyful 
event, and according to the words of Jesus 
Christ himself (Mark xi. 19) not reconcil- 
able with fasting, it was determined in the 
Christian Church at large that during the 
seasons of fasting marriages should not be 
made. In the Russian Church, the weekly 
fast days are also reckoned in the forbidden 
time. Only the days are taken not in the 
general, but in the Church's sense, according 
to which the days do not begin after mid- 
night, but follow each other in the ecclesias- 
tical order in such a way that a day begins 
with the vespers of one evening, and con- 
tinues until vespers of the day following. 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 33 

From this circumstance, it is clear why a 
wedding may not take place Tuesday or 
Thursday evenings, while on the evenings 
of Wednesday and Friday it is legally per- 
mitted. For another reason the nuptials 
cannot be celebrated on the eves of the 
feasts of the Church. Here is to be consid- 
ered, rather, the hour in the day of celebrat- 
ing marriage. This hour can only be such 
an one as does not precede divine service ; 
hence on ordinary days marriage cannot 
be celebrated between midnight and the 
hour of service ; on feast days, not between 
the vespers, which ordinarily take place the 
evening before, and the hour of service of 
the feast itself. Therefore, in case of neces- 
sity, for instance, marriages on Saturday can 
be performed only before vespers ; otherwise 
they are usually altogether omitted on this 
day, in order not to disturb the festivities of 
the occasion with the necessary preparations 
for the Lord's day. 

Now let us pass to the ceremonies of 
divine service which accompany the nuptials. 
We shall then see yet more clearly how 



34 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

high this sacrament is esteemed by the 
Orthodox Church, and how solemnly it is 
celebrated. The wedding proper is pre- 
ceded by the betrothal, which is a solemn 
promise between bridegroom and bride 
before God, and in the face of the Church, 
whereby the blessing of God is asked upon 
the intended union. This betrothal was 
in former times made some time, even some 
years, before the nuptials. But now, in or- 
dinary cases, it is entered into immediately 
before the wedding, and only at the nup-* 
tials of the members of the imperial familj 
according to ancient custom, it is separated 
from the same by some days or weeks. 
But in every case, this holy transaction is 
made publicly in church. It is customary 
in ordinary life, that the bridegroom arrive 
at church before the bride, and that then a 
lady of the company of the bridegroom is 
sent to bring the bride from her parental 
house. Here she receives the last blessing 
from her parents, and takes her last fare- 
well of her family circle, in order to enter 
into the new family bonds, where she is to 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 35 

forget her parents' house, and to cleave to 
her husband. In order to bring to her 
mind this necessity more impressively, the 
parents do not generally accompany their 
daughter to the nuptials ; but on the other 
hand, the representatives are present. As 
soon as the bride enters the church, in 
most cases, she is saluted by an appropriate 
chant, and introduced by one of the nearest 
I relatives to the bridegroom. The same rel- 
ative, as the chosen marriage friend during 
the whole ceremony, places the bridegroom 
and bride in the middle of the church, 
some distance from the hymeneal altar, 
upon which are the Gospel and the cross, 
and in such wise, that the bridegroom occu- 
pies the right, and the bride the left side. 
This position already intimates the legal 
relation in which the woman is placed to 
her husband according to the will of God. 
Then the acting priest hands them the 
lighted tapers, which, as a sign of the solem- 
nity of the transaction itself, and still more 
as symbols of the light of the grace of God 
which they are about to receive, they hold 



86 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

before them during the whole ceremony. 
The signification of these tapers is height- 
ened yet more by the fact, that at the pres- 
entation of the same, the priest blesses with 
them the bridegroom and the bride, cross- 
wise, in the name of the Holy Trinity. 
And thus with the sign of the cross, the 
beginning of the transaction of the divine 
service is made. In the first prayers, the 
whole Church is invited to ask God for 
those about to be betrothed, that He would 
send down upon them His rich blessing. 
Thus they ask for the perfect love, for 
peace and unity among themselves, for the 
fulfillment of all their good wishes, and the 
salvation of their souls, for the blessing of 
their conjugal union, and the purity of 
their mutual life. After these prayers, 
said by the deacon and the priest alter- 
nately, follows the chief act of the betrothal, 
— the putting on the rings. This cere- 
mony has existed in the Church from 
oldest times, and has in it a great meaning. 
Even in most distant antiquity, and among 
almost all nations, the ring was used as a 






SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 37 

symbol of mutual confidence, honor, and 
love. Thus, as is also mentioned in the 
prayer upon the rings, was given to Daniel, 
in Babylon, a ring, as a sign of special trust 
in him, on the part of the King. So Joseph 
was honored by Pharaoh w T ith a ring. The 
father had a ring put on the finger of his 
converted son, as a token of love. In all 
these meanings, the ring finds a suitable 
application at the solemn betrothal. Then, 
when two persons stand before the altar of 
God, to vow to each other love and fidelity 
till death, the ceremony of the rings is a 
pregnant emblematical declaration of the 
importance and the high significance of the 
holy transaction, which at this moment is 
made. The rings are here the most con- 
spicuous emblem of the eternal, inseparable, 
and pure union of the two parties. Pure 
and clear as gold, precious and durable as 
this metal, the marriage of the newly wed- 
ded is to be throughout their whole life. 
This ring, which the betrothed now receive 
from the hand of the priest, is to them 
even in later years a pledge of their mutual 



38 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

happiness, and at the same time, a vivid 
remembrance of the vows they made to 
each other in the face of God. In order to 
add to these pledges still greater impor- 
tance, these rings, before the beginning of 
the betrothal, are deposited upon the altar 
in the Holies ; and only at the moment of 
the betrothal in church, they are taken 
from there, as coming from God Himself, 
and put on the fingers of those about to be 
betrothed, the following significant formula 
being said : " The servant of God N. is 
betrothed to the maid of God," and then : 
" The maid of God N. is betrothed to the 
servant of God N., in the name of the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
Amen." This, and the blessing crosswise, 
with the ring of the bridegroom and the 
bride, exalts this transaction to the grade of 
an holy act, in which their mutual vows 
receive their sanctification from Heaven. 
But since the Orthodox Church wishes to 
know the parental power in case of mar- 
riage especially honored, she leaves, after 
the rings have been handed to the betrothed 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 39 

in the name of God, to the parents and 
their representatives, the completion of this 
emblematical ceremony. Accordingly, di- 
rectly after, one of the oldest of the rel- 
atives, or the chosen friend of the marriage, 
advances to the newly betrothed, and inter- 
changes their rings three times, giving first 
the ring of the bridegroom to the bride, and 
then, that of the bride to the bridegroom. 
This transaction is to signify, on the one 
hand, the entire consent of the parents to 
the conjugal union of the newly betrothed ; 
and on the other hand, the express confir- 
mation of the given promise of conjugal 
fidelity and love which the bridegroom and 
the bride now testify before their nearest 
relatives. Also for the newly betrothed 
themselves is found, in this threefold inter- 
change of rings, a beautiful lesson ; for 
from it they are to learn that in matri- 
mony it is expected, in some cases, to divide 
and interchange mutually the power and 
the rights of each, and in such a way that, 
owing to circumstances, the husband is to 
follow and obey the advice of his wife, and 



40 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

the wife is to assume the great cares for the 
support of the family. In short, in this 
interchange of rings is expressed, in full 
measure, the communion of love, which 
only love itself can assure to the heart. 
After the conclusion of this chief ceremony 
of the betrothal, the priest asks God once 
more for the descent of His grace upon the 
newly betrothed. The ordinary prayers for 
the Emperor and all the imperial family, 
for the Clergy and all Christians, conclude 
the ceremony, which, although it does not 
yet unite the betrothed for married life, yet 
strongly confirms already to them their 
near union ; it is therefore holy and full of 
blessing for those that take part in it. But 
this holiness and this wealth of blessing and 
of grace appertain in a yet higher degree 
to the nuptials, as a sacramental transaction. 
The wedding, in the language of the Or- 
thodox Church, is called coronation. This 
arises from the custom of placing crowns 
upon the heads of those who are united in 
matrimony. This custom, the significance 
of which in the present case we shall show 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 41 

afterwards, Las descended from the oldest 
times. Crowns were always used as sym- 
bols of honor, and still more as tokens of 
festivity and joy in general. But they 
were also employed by many nations in 
marriages. Thus we find in the Song of 
Solomon a passage, from which is to be 
seen that already, in that day, this custom 
was extant. " Go forth, O ye daughters of 
Zion, and behold King Solomon with the 
crown wherewith his mother crowned him 
in the day of his espousals, and in the day 
of the gladness of his heart." It is proba- 
ble that these crowns at first were ordinary 
garlands made of flowers, and that only in 
course of time they assumed the form of 
crowns. This form was afterwards, with- 
out doubt, retained by the Church the 
more readily, since it harmonized best with 
the significance of the espousals. 

We have already remarked that none of 
the Sacraments, the Holy Communion ex- 
cepted, are administered with such solem- 
nity as the nuptials. And, indeed, when 
we enter into a temple of God, where this 



42 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

sacrament is celebrated, we are involun- 
tarily captivated with the feeling of that 
joyous enthusiasm, which permits us to 
take the liveliest part in this divine ser- 
vice. The burning lights, like the stars of 
heaven, gleaming from all sides ; the priests, 
in their splendid vestments, standing like 
angels of God.; the bridegroom and the 
bride, with their golden crowns before the 
altar, upon which rest the symbols of our 
faith, — the Holy Gospel and the reverent 
cross ; the clouds of incense, as emblematic 
of our prayers rising up to Heaven ; finally, 
the festive song, which bears the soul up 
into the higher regions of spiritual enjoy- 
ment. But if we turn our attention to the 
prayers, to the singing, and the reading on 
this occasion, first we are taught by the 
Apostle concerning the high significance of 
Christian matrimony ; then we find the 
narration in the Gospel of John, where we 
ascertain that tha Lord Himself once hon- 
ored a marriage with His presence, and 
thus signified His pleasure in lawful wed- 
lock. Every song, every verse, which is 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 43 

there heard is only a blessing over the now- 
crowned heads of those to be united, only 
praise and glory to the loving Father in 
heaven, w T ho sanctifies this union by His 
grace. But let us enter into a closer ex- 
amination of this transaction, and explain 
in their order the ceremonies as they occur. 
If the nuptials follow immediately after the 
betrothal, or even some time after, in both 
cases the beginning of this ceremony is dis- 
tinguished by greater solemnity. In both 
cases the betrothed advance now with a 
certain pomp to the wedding altar, the 
priest in front, and the more or less numer- 
ous company of wedding guests behind. 
The choir at the same time sings loud and 
solemnly the words : " Glory be to Thee, 
Our God, Glory be to Thee ! " while the 
priest, as he passes on, sings in a low 
voice a few suitable verses from the 128th 
Psalm ; as, for instance, the following : 
" Blessed is every one that feareth the 
Lord ; thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine 
by the sides of thine house, thy children 
like olive plants round about thy table. 



44 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed 
that feareth the Lord ! The Lord shall 
bless thee, that thou shalt see thy children's 
children." After that the officiating .priest 
asks first the bridegroom and then the bride, 
if they unite from their free choice and 
with a firm purpose, and if they have not 
been betrothed to some one before. This 
question before the altar of God, before the 
cross and the Gospel, in the face of all 
present, is like an oath to make the union 
about to be concluded irrevocable. And 
such it is in reality. In this moment, even 
before marriage is consummated, those that 
are to be united are to make themselves 
responsible before God and his Church for 
the zealous fulfillment of all obligations, 
which, as married people, are awaiting 
them. Therefore the Church begins the 
nuptials only after they have answered in the 
affirmative to the first question, and in the 
negative to the second. The place where 
the bridegroom and bride are standing dur- 
ing the whole ceremony is also in this case, 
as it is at the betrothal, in the body of the 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 45 

church, only immediately before the wed- 
ding altar, and besides, they stand upon a 
small spread, ordinarily of pink silk. This 
situation is to indicate to those to be 
wedded, what a holy act they are now per- 
forming ; for here the eyes of the whole 
Church are directed upon them, when God 
Himself is the witness of the promise they 
have given each other of love, fidelity, 
and attachment until death. The covering 
spread out under their feet indeed pleases 
the eye by its color, which typifies clearly 
the joys of life ; but it is small, and thus 
signifies, that the union which they are 
now cementing is not only so narrow, that 
a third person shall not find a place in it, 
but also, that they themselves are entering 
upon a very narrow path of life, upon which 
they are not to depart from each other a 
single step all through life, without aban- 
doning unlawfully the way which was ap- 
pointed them. The commencement of the 
nuptial prayers is made by the ascription 
of praise to the Holy Trinity. " Glory be 
to the Kingdom of the Father, and of the 



46 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

• 

Son, and of the Holy Ghost," exclaims the 
priest, and the choir responds with an 
Amen ! And now follow prayers, first the 
general Church prayers, and then the es- 
pecial ones, having reference to the mar- 
riage. In the latter is expressed the hearty 
requests of the Church for the prosperity of 
the earthly life, and the salvation of the 
souls of those to be united. But in par- 
ticular, prayer is made for the rich bless- 
ings of God upon them, that He would 
give them a quiet, undisturbed home life, 
hearty love for each other, and constant 
fidelity ; that they may take pleasure in be- 
holding their children, and their children's 
children ; that they may be blessed with all 
possessions, and not suffer any want of the 
necessities of life. 

Of the highest significance are the pray- 
ers, in which is asked for the spiritual union 
of the wedded pair, for their union in senti- 
ment, wishes, and plans, in order that, 
through this holy covenant, they may both 
become virtuous, and free from all snares, 
to attain the more easily the felicity of 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 47 

heaven, where they are to shine as the stars 
before the Lord. 

Now follows the chief act of the nuptial 
ceremony, namely, the coronation of bride- 
groom and bride. The crowns are brought 
on a plate, some time before, from the altar, 
and the priest, after the conclusion of the 
prayers, takes one into his hand, blesses 
crosswise first the bridegroom, hands to him 
a picture of the Saviour, painted upon one of 
the medallions which are upon the crowns, 
that he may kiss it, and then the priest puts 
the crown upon his head with the words : 
u The servant of God N. is crowned for the 
maid of God (i. e., is united under this 
crown with the . . . .), in the name of the 
Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 
After this, he crowns also the bride in the 
same manner, with the words, " The maid 
of God N. is crowned for the servant of God 
N., in the name of the Father, of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost." This done, the 
priest takes his place before the couple, 
blesses them three times with his hand, 
while he says the following words with a 



48 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

loud and solemn voice : " O Lord our 
God, crown them with honor and glory ! " 
The meaning of these words is this : " O 
Lord, as this pair now stand adorned with 
crowns, so crown and adorn this their alli- 
ance all through life with all Thy good gifts, 
which testify to Thy glory, and serve to the 
honor of the recipients, that they may be- 
come happy, and shine by reason of their 
virtues, as also by their brilliant crowns, to 
the glory of Thy Holy Name." Herewith,, 
by the coronation and priestly blessing, the 
nuptials are finished, and the joining of the 
two persons completed. The crowns are 
here only symbolic, as the water in baptism, 
and as the imposition of hands in the other 
sacraments. The chief thing consists in the 
sacramental formula expressed in the name 
of the triune God, over those to be united. 
Only through this form of words the two 
become one flesh, and the conjugal union 
receives its strength. But the coronation 
also comprehends a deep meaning, and is 
of great importance at the nuptials. The 
crown is a symbol of honor and glory; it 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 49 

was often placed as a sign of triumph upon 
the head of conquerors. In both these mean- 
ings, the Church found the crowns appro- 
priate for marriage. The betrothed were 
crowned by the Church, thereby to pay 
publicly a solemn honor to the virtue of 
chastity. The Church presupposes that 
those who enter into legal matrimony have 
preserved, up to the time, the purity of 
their hearts unspotted, which thing is rarely 
attained without struggle with temptation 4 
therefore she crowns them now as victors, 
and applauds their pure intention to enter 
upon matrimony blessed by God. Just for 
this reason, she denies coronation to those 
who marry a second time ; for in this case 
she considers, in accordance with the saying 
of the Apostle (1 Cor. vii. 9), these no longer 
as victors, but as conquered. Another not 
less important significance of the matrimo- 
nial coronation consists in the fact, that 
those about to unite enter upon an estate, 
wherein they are not only to lay their own 
hearth-stone, but have the full hope to be- 
come the heads of a long posterity. It has 



50 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

been justly remarked by a venerable author 
of Russia, that the original blessing of God 
upon marriage is fulfilled in full measure in 
those who marry, that is, not only, u Be fruit- 
ful and multiply and replenish the earth," 
but also, " subdue and have dominion over 
it." (Gen. i. 28.) 

Finally, the coronation has also a myste- 
rious meaning in it, since, as we saw, the 
bridegroom and bride in their spiritual union 
are to represent Christ and His Church, in 
which case the crowns belong to them as a 
royal ornament, and as a sign of honor. Be- 
sides all this, the coronation at the nuptials, 
although it be no essential act, is yet always 
an important ceremony, through the omission 
of which, as is the case in second marriages, 
the whole solemnity of this sacrament is es- 
sentially lessened. Moreover, the marriage 
is not yet consummated with this act; there 
are yet some ceremonies, which are intended 
to illuminate still more the high significance 
of the conjugal covenant. Thus, immedi- 
ately after the coronation, follows, by way of 
interpretation of this act, a song, in which 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 51 

the spiritual sense of these ceremonies is ex- 
pressed by these words of the Psalmist : 
" Thou hast set upon their heads crowns of 
precious stones; they asked life of Thee, 
and Thou gavest it to them." The verse 
following completes the idea, which lies in 
these words : " For Thou wilt give them 
the gift of eternal life, and Thou wilt make 
them glad with the joy of Thy countenance." 
The newly wedded are not then to forget in 
this moinent, nor ever in their lives, that 
they receive their matrimonial crowns as 
symbols of their earthly prosperity from the 
hand of God itself, and that these symbols 
are to serve them at the same time as 
pledges of their salvation and eternal fe- 
licity in heaven. In the passage read imme- 
diately after from the Epistle of the Apostle 
St. Paul to the Ephesians, the reciprocal 
duties of the married are shown, and also 
the high significance of matrimony, after 
the image of the mysterious union of Christ 
with the Church. Then follows the lesson 
from the Gospel of John, from which we all 
learn, to our consolation and joy, how the 



52 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

Lord, with His innate condescension, visits 
a marriage at Cana ; how He there, in com- 
pany with His mother and disciples, takes 
part in this festivity ; and how He even 
works a miracle whereby he prevents 
any blemish in the joy of the marriage 
guests by the unforeseen lack of wine. 
Therefore we know that the Lord Himself 
is well pleased in our pure joys, and blesses 
the solemnity of matrimony with His grace. 
Now follow two other important ceremo- 
nies, — the presenting of the so-called com- 
mon cup to the newly wedded, and the kind 
of procession of the crowned pair around the 
wedding altar, with the priest in advance. 
But before that, prayers are made, in which 
the officiating priest asks God that He would 
grant to the newly united peace and con- 
cord, purity and chastity in their matrimo- 
nial life, great age, and a long posterity ; 
but principally, constant adherence to the 
law of God until their life's end. These 
prayers ended, all are invited to listen 
with reverence to the prayer of the Lord, 
and the choir chants the Lord's Prayer. 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 53 

Immediately after the singing of this prayer, 
a cup of wine mixed with water is brought 
from the altar. The priest blesses it first 
with a prayer, then takes it into his hand, 
and gives of it first to the man, and then to 
the woman, to each three times alternately. 
This ceremony is so full of meaning, that it 
speaks for itself. For is not this common 
cup, from which now the newly united drink 
at the hand of the consecrated servant of 
God, to signify clearly, that henceforth the 
fortunes of these two persons are so closely 
bound, that they are to bear in common all 
that may happen to them in life, not only 
the joys of prosperity, but also the suffer- 
ings of misfortune ? But both are to become 
easy for them, through the security of the 
covenant itself ; for while the joys are so 
constituted that they are increased through 
communication with friends, the sufferings, 
on the other hand, are of quite an opposite 
nature, since they are considerably dimin- 
ished as soon as they can be confided to a true 
heart. 

But who can be a better and more sincere 



54 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

friend than the man in relation to his wife, 
and vice versa ? Fortune, vocation, and dif- 
ferent interests separate often the best 
friends ; the married alone have all in com- 
mon. Whatever concerns the one, concerns 
also in the same degree the other. Even 
personal qualities of the one are to the other 
for honor or shame. But, although these 
mutual relations are derived from the inti- 
macy of matrimony itself, yet, according to 
the teaching of the Church, they are to be 
real duties for both parties. A Christian is 
not to be content with simply following the 
impulses of his heart ; he must, besides, be 
guided by a higher duty. We will also re- 
peat that love, which must precede marriage 
as a sentiment of the heart, becomes a duty 
after the conclusion of the same. Therefore 
the Church reminds the newly married, by 
the common cup, that all which they are 
now ready to fulfill from a free impulse of 
the heart, is asked of them as a holy duty 
by God Himself, and that the neglect of 
this duty shall have a heavy responsibility 
as its consequence. With the common cup 



! 

! 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 55 

are completed the admonitions as to the 
duties of the married. Now follows the 
solemn nuptial procession, as the last cele- 
bration of marriage. The officiating priest 
puts the right hand of the bride in that of 
the bridegroom, takes both in his right 
hand, and thus leads them in a circle around 
the altar, while the persons appointed for 
the purpose hold from behind them the 
crowns over their heads. This conducting 
around the desk is done three times, and 
every time is accompanied with a verse sol- 
emnly sung by the choir. It is worthy of 
observation in this connection, that this tri- 
umphal procession so adapted to a Christian 
marriage in which the joy and solemnity of 
the transaction are mingled, is only then at 
an end, after the newly married have sol- 
emnly attested before God and man their 
readiness for all possible mutual sacrifices. 
It is a new reminder of the fact that the 
happiness of wedded life depends solely 
upon the strict fulfillment of the duties of 
marriage. Therefore, the priest in this pro- 
cession walks in front, to signify still more 



56 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

that the married can finish their course of 
life securely and joyfully only under the 
guidance of the Church, and that religion 
alone can secure to them the crowns of vic- 
tory over all assaults of the world. Their 
hands being now united under the priestly 
care, they are especially to be impressed 
with the thoughts that in Christian matri- 
mony the salvation of the souls of both man 
and wife must be a common matter with 
each of them; for the passing around the 
nuptial altar three times is a speaking pict- 
ure of their inseparable union in spirit for 
all eternity. 

One of the married parties must not be 
indifferent if his partner stands behind him 
in regard to piety, or even deviates from the 
same entirely. The pure joy of love must 
continue undisturbed also beyond. The 
crowns, with which they are # now adorned, 
dare not fall from the head of one without 
pain to the other, for they are now no longer 
two, but one being. But this procession 
includes yet another very great meaning. 
Namely, it is a clear interpretation of the 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 57 

mysterious meaning of matrimony as a holy 
sacrament. For we see here in this crowned 
man a type of the Lord Himself, who led 
His Church, according to the words of the 
Apostle, as a bride by the hand from among 
the heathen, and united her with Him- 
self forever in an indissoluble union. Ref- 
erence is had to this also in the verses sung 
during the procession ; for in the first is di- 
rectly announced the joyous fulfillment of 
the prophecy of Isaiah in regard to the birth 
of Immanuel of the Virgin, and then is cel- 
ebrated the accomplishment of the union of 
Messiah with His Church, as a pure bride 
predicted from the beginning, and long ex- 
pected. In the second verse is already 
shown the fruits of this firm and indissoluble 
love of the Church to her divine bridegroom, 
since the martyrs are adduced as the first 
witnesses of this love, — the martyrs, who 
sealed this covenant with their blood, and 
thereby received the crowns of victory from 
the hands of the loving bridegroom of the 
Church. In the last verse, Christ our 
God is glorified, as the only honor of the 



58 SACRAMENT OF MATKIMONY. 

faithful, and the true joy of His elect. 
Thus is the nuptial joy of the newly wed- 
ded over the accomplished union of their 
souls and their alliance for an inseparable 
life on earth, not only sanctified by this 
high sacramental significance of their cove- 
nant, but exalted to a heavenly joy, in 
which we all feel reason to exclaim, " Blessed 
is he who is called to the marriage supper 
of the Lamb ! " 

After the ceremony of the nuptials is in 
this wise completed, the crowns are taken 
from the heads of the newly wedded. Of 
old it was done on the eighth day after the 
nuptials, when the newly married, after the 
conclusion of the festivities connected with 
the nuptials, came again into the church to 
receive here the final blessing for their mat- 
rimonial life at the hand of the priest. By 
this new ceremony the newly united are 
shown that now their nuptial joy is to make 
room for the more serious cares of life, and 
that their bright crowns are only pledges of 
those that must be won in the future. At 
the removing of the crowns, the priest sa- 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 59 

lutes the pair with patriarchal wishes of 
blessing, while he says to the man : u Be 
honored, O bridegroom, like Abraham ; be 
blessed like Isaac ; and increased like Jacob ; 
walk in peace, and fulfill the commandments 
of God in righteousness ! " To the wife he 
says : u Be you, too, honored, O bride, like 
Sarah ; be glad like Rebecca, and increased 
like Rachel ; take pleasure in thy husband, 
and observe the limits of the law according 
to the pleasure of God !" Thus sound the 
last wishes of the Church for the newly 
wedded. The heavenly benediction, the in- 
crease of family, and the God-fearing life, 
are the chief contents of the final prayers 
which conclude this holy transaction. In 
conclusion, the married are notified to bend 
their heads before the Lord, and the priest 
speaks over them the following blessing : 
" The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 
the holiest Trinity in equal substance, the 
source of life, bless you, and give you many 
years of fruitfulness and growth in grace 
and in the faith ; fill you with every good 
on earth, and make you worthy to take part 



60 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

in the eternal heavenly possessions promised 
by Him, through the prayer of the holy 
mother of God, and all saints. Amen ! " 
After this final blessing, the priest causes the 
newly wedded to kiss each other, — the first 
sanctified kiss by which their hearts are 
united before God forever. Then the newly 
wedded betake themselves to the holy pic- 
tures and kneel before them, while they 
offer their gratitude to God in silent prayer 
for the completed union. But in many 
cases, even the solemn Te Deum is sung at 
the same time. And after these prayers are 
finished the relatives approach, to bring 
their congratulations to the newly married. 
The return from church is generally either 
in company with the priest, or at least with 
the holy picture, which, as a symbol of the 
parental blessing, was carried before those to 
be married into the church for the nuptials, 
and which lay during the whole transaction 
upon a special desk. When they arrive at 
home, they are received with bread and salt 
by their parents, as a sign of their best wishes 
for their prosperity, and the blessing of God 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 61 

upon the new family hearth. Of the then 
following marriage feast is to be remarked 
only, that it is ordinarily celebrated in the 
presence of the priest, and thus the first step 
of the new married couple in their inde- 
pendent life is made in connection with the 
Church, and, so to speak, under her eyes. 

When we now take a retrospective view 
of the whole, we realize that matrimony, in 
the eyes of the Orthodox Church, is not only 
a holy covenant, but a most important act 
in life, which decides the destiny of the two 
persons, not only for a life-time, but for 
eternity. The Church wishes to see, in the 
Christian marriage, the primitive condition 
of man in Paradise again restored ; where, 
yet pure and unspotted from sin, he was 
placed by the creating hand of God to be- 
come the patriarch of the human race, and 
the ruler of the world. In the rising gener- 
ation, wedlock was in reality to become the 
hearth around which youth should find its 
education, and the knowledge of God its 
growth. Therefore, many exhortations to 
those becoming united are placed in the 



62 SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

marriage prayers ; to this end are directed 
all ceremonies which accompany this trans- 
action. We have already seen the sense 
and significance of all these ceremonies, and 
we have been convinced that they bear a 
deeply engraved character. It is possible 
that many of these ceremonies originated in 
the later years of Christianity ; but when 
they were accepted by the Church it was 
certainly with the best intention, and the 
assurance of a useful edification for those 
that take part in them. Symbols generally 
are the standing monuments of certain 
truths. What else is the cross, for all 
Christians, but a sign of our faith in the 
accomplished salvation of man on the cross 
by the Redeemer ? Guided by this thought, 
the Church received gladly all the symbol- 
ical signs with which her temples are dec- 
orated, and thus she adorned even her 
language in many allegorical pictures, in 
which she speaks to the people as once the 
Lord Himself. From the order of the 
prayers at the time of the betrothal, as well 
as at the nuptials, is yet more clearly to 



SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 63 

be seen that this symbolical language is 
far from dimming the purity of doctrine ; 
but, on the contrary, it rather elevates the 
simplest truths to that degree of edification 
which rarely a human sermon can grant. 
It remains only to desire that Christians 
would give more attention to all these signs 
and insignia of the Church. But here is 
she also justified in speaking the warning 
word of Jesus Christ, " Who hath ears to 
hear, let him hear ! " 



FINIS. 



}3 ^ THE 

SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY, 



ACCORDING TO THE DOCTRINE AND RITUAL OF 
THE ORTHODOX ORIENTAL CHURCH. 



Very Rev. F. BASAROFF, 

ARCHPRIEST. 



TRANSLATED BY THE 

Rev. N. BJERRING, Piuest. 




NEW YORK: 

E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY, 

713 Broadway. 
1876. 



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